Venice 2026: Female Directors Face 'Cult of Male Genius'
During the 83rd Venice Film Festival, May el-Toukhy, a Danish-Egyptian filmmaker and one of the two women vying for the Golden Lion, expressed her concerns about the 'cult of male genius' in cinema, pointing out a significant 'structural problem' for women. Her film, 'Woman Unknown,' stood out as the sole female-directed feature in the main competition, later accompanied by the documentary 'NAZA.' El-Toukhy remarked on the lack of media coverage celebrating female directors as geniuses and recounted her challenges in creating her debut film. Despite the heightened awareness following the MeToo movement, she noted a decline in industry progress. 'Woman Unknown' portrays a housemaid named Marie in post-Nazi-occupied Denmark. El-Toukhy previously directed 'Queen of Hearts' in 2019 and initiated Dogma 25.
Key facts
- May el-Toukhy is one of only two female directors competing for the Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice Film Festival.
- Her film 'Woman Unknown' was the only female-directed film in the main competition at the July lineup announcement.
- The documentary 'NAZA', co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by the Guardian, was added later.
- El-Toukhy said she has never read an article promoting a female director as a genius.
- She said it took her six or seven years to get her first film made after film school.
- At Cannes 2026, five out of 22 films in competition were directed by women; at the Berlinale, seven out of 17.
- 'Woman Unknown' is set after Denmark's liberation from Nazi occupation and follows a housemaid with a wartime relationship with a German soldier.
- El-Toukhy is the initiator of Dogma 25, a relaunch of the Dogme 95 movement.
- Her 2019 film 'Queen of Hearts' won the Nordic Council Film Prize.
- Competing directors include Werner Herzog, Paul Schrader, Nanni Moretti, Martin McDonagh, and Danny Boyle.
Entities
Artists
- May el-Toukhy
- Yuval Abraham
- Rachel Szor
- Mathilde Arcel
- Werner Herzog
- Paul Schrader
- Nanni Moretti
- Martin McDonagh
- Danny Boyle
- Lars von Trier
- Thomas Vinterberg
Institutions
- Venice Film Festival
- Cannes Film Festival
- Berlinale
- Golden Lion
- Guardian
- Nordic Council Film Prize
- Dogma 25
- Dogme 95
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Denmark
- Cannes
- France
- Berlin
- Germany